Various attempts have been made to utilize wind as a motive force for generating power. Most of the devices that have been proposed are so-called "windmills" in which a propeller is driven by the wind and the shaft on which the propeller is mounted is drivingly connected either to a pump or to an electric generator. Such windmills have been widely used in the United States and foreign countries.
In some cases these windmills involve the use of huge rotors where attempts have been made to generate electric power on a relatively large scale. These devices have encountered certain problems with noise, vibration, and structural fatigue.
It is therefore desirable to provide a new and improved wind power generating system which is more efficient and which can be rendered inoperative to avoid destruction by excessive winds.